Monday, June 2, 2014

UPDATE: Steve Boyd has registered as a candidate in the Ward 5 Councillor's race. Great news! Mr. Boyd now has the opportunity to back up his opinions on the future of Crystal Beach. Also, a Mark Wilkie has also registered to run in Ward 5. This is interesting: Seniors Given Wrong Voting Information. Sure hope that doesn't happen here.My remarks to potential Ward 5 candidate Steve Boyd did not go unnoticed. Now that "it" is out there, those who read the other site will probably end asking the same questions I have for Steve about his "parking lot" on Erie Road in Crystal Beach. For the past several years, Steve has leased the property of CBTYC developer Tiburzi, then newer owners, a Molinaro and a DiCenzo that runs along Erie Road in Crystal Beach. In the summer, he charges for parking in that lot, anywhere from $3.00 to $5.00 per car. The lot is often filled to capacity. Nice little side gig for Steve. It becomes a problem if he chooses to run for office. And, you, dear reader, know why. I merely pointed this out to Steve because, as we can all guess, the coming municipal election in Fort Erie is going to very nasty. The mayor was already on local radio this morning blaming "his council" for all the woes of Fort Erie and the reason that investors are not coming to Fort Erie. (Like they were lined up at town hall in his previous administration.) Steve has taken a page out of certain blogger's playbook and made a video of Crystal Beach showing the derelict and empty storefronts. Steve blames the fact that the people didn't want the Molinaro Project as the cause of the empty storefronts. Like many, he is offering a simplistic approach to a complicated issue. He seems to forget that Crystal Beach was "red-lined" for several years. No one could get a mortgage through normal channels. The town engaged in "Engineered Blight" as to the public beach properties and a former councillor sold out her ward to a developer. All these years of fighting to save our public beachfront land have taken a toll on the community. With the threat of a high rise temporarily gone, volunteers are already planning to make the summer of 2014 memorable. With a renewed feeling of hope, ideas are being tossed about for Crystal Beach's future by those who nearly despaired at the loss of the beachfront land to a high rise developer. A couple of new businesses have already opened and the news that Nigh's Chocolates will open a shop on Erie Road is very sweet indeed.But Steve is locked into the notion that the only hope for Crystal Beach is the Molinaro high rise. He is entitled to his opinion of course, but he had better be ready to defend it and himself if he decides to run for council. As I once said to a candidate (who lost an election) "Be careful, politics is a blood sport." As a veteran of many campaigns in the States, I can attest to that fact. I was mentored by one of the best campaign organizers in the States. I worked on several presidential campaigns and numerous local and state elections. I am also a local volunteer for the very large and powerful Democrats Abroad. Canada, especially Ontario, has adopted American campaign strategies. Even Tim Hudak, currently running for premier for the Tories, took a crash course in electioneering from Republicans in Washington, D.C. So, with that in mind, I am going to be very active in the upcoming election. I will soon apply for my Canadian citizenship and might be able to vote in the election. But this time, I will not be quiet. There is too much at stake. Mayor Martin already declared recently that "things will change with a new council," meaning: these guys are getting too close to the truth; we need to get rid of them.Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy flight.